There are over 450 species of shark world wide but only a handful are known to be dangerous to humans. There are several theories as to why sharks attack humans. Some ‘attacks’ may be purely an inquisitive testing of an object, some may be territorial, others may be related to the invasion of the shark’s personal space by the human. Other theories include in-quisitiveness (i.e. just testing an object with their teeth to see if it is edible), or the shark may have been disrupted during its breeding behaviour. Some attacks may be directly associated with feeding behaviours. Some authors have suggested that only rough or injured sharks attack humans, however, there is no scien-tific evidence to support this theory.

First aid:- once the patient is removed from the water:

1.Treat the patient immediately on site.

2.Stop the bleeding immediately by applying direct pressure above or on the wound, a tourniquet may be used if bleeding cannot be controlled by a pressure bandage.

3.Reassure the patient at all times.

4.Send for an ambulance and medical personnel (if possible do not move the patient if badly injured.

5.Cover the patient lightly with clothing or a towel.

6.Give nothing by mouth.